If you live in Nashville, October is the month to get out of the house. Between concerts, ballet, opera, a craft fair on the Great Lawn, and enough pumpkins to lose count of, there's something happening almost every weekend. Here's a look at October events in Nashville this year.

Quick List: October 2026 Events in Order

• September 19–November 1: Cheekwood Harvest (Cheekwood Estate & Gardens)
• October 1–4: Nashville Oktoberfest (Bicentennial Capitol Mall)
• October 2–4: Nashville Ballet presents Giselle (TPAC, Polk Theater)
• October 3–4: Brick Fan Event LEGO Fan Expo (Nashville Fairgrounds)
• October 4: UNDERTALE: The Determination Symphony (Ryman Auditorium)
• October 8 & 10: Nashville Opera presents Tosca (TPAC, Jackson Hall)
• October 9–11: Nashville Celebrity Comic Con (The Fairgrounds Nashville)
• October 9–11: 48th Annual Fall Tennessee Craft Fair (Centennial Park)
• October 10: Fall Ball, Y'all Festival (Nashville Farmers' Market)
• October 10: S'mores Festival (Copperline Ranch)
• October 11: The Beach Boys (Ryman Auditorium)
• October 13–18: The Sound of Music (TPAC, Jackson Hall)
• October 17: C.S. Lewis On Stage: Further Up & Further In
• October 19: Sonic Live in Concert (Ryman Auditorium)
• October 21: Journey, Final Frontier Tour (Bridgestone Arena)
• October 27: Frankenstein with the Nashville Symphony (Schermerhorn Symphony Center)
• Through late October: Boo at the Zoo (Nashville Zoo)
• October 31: Cherry Bomb Presents Final Girl: The Improvised Horror Musical (City Winery Nashville)

Never let it be said there aren't plenty of things to do in Nashville!

Big Shows at the Ryman

The Ryman Auditorium has three very different acts on the calendar this month, and each one is worth its own mention.

UNDERTALE: The Determination Symphony — October 4, 8 p.m.

Video game fans, mark your calendars. A 25-piece orchestra performs the most memorable music from the hit indie game UNDERTALE while gameplay footage plays on a screen above the stage. Game creator Toby Fox has praised the project, noting how much the score comes alive with skilled musicians behind it. The show moves through the game's world, from the Ruins to New Home, bringing its characters and battles to life through music alone.

The Beach Boys — October 11, 7:30 p.m.

An American classic. The Beach Boys, now led by co-founder Mike Love alongside longtime member Bruce Johnston, musical director Scott Totten, and a full band, bring more than six decades of history to the Ryman stage: "Surfin' USA," "Good Vibrations," "Kokomo," and plenty more.

Note: This date is a reschedule from an earlier postponed show—tickets already purchased for the original date will still be honored, no need to rebuy.

Sonic Live in Concert — October 19, 7:30 p.m.

Sonic the Hedgehog turns 35 this year, and the celebration includes a live concert experience featuring music from every era of the franchise. A live ensemble performs alongside rock musicians, vocalists, and electronic elements while HD footage of classic levels and boss battles plays behind them. It's a one-night-only stop on the show's U.S. tour.

On Stage at TPAC

The Tennessee Performing Arts Center has a full season underway, and three productions land in October.

Nashville Ballet's Giselle — October 2–4, Polk Theater

Artistic Director Nick Mullikin presents his first full-length ballet, a fresh take on the classic tragic tale of love, deceit, and despair. The production features new sets and costumes, new choreography, and live accompaniment from the Nashville Symphony. It's the story's first time on TPAC's main stage since 2009.

Four performances run over the weekend: Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at both 2 and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m.

Nashville Opera's Tosca — October 8 and 10, Jackson Hall

Puccini's Tosca is often called his most cinematic work, and this production leans into that with grand, hand-painted traditional sets depicting 1800s Rome. The story follows singer Floria Tosca racing to save her lover from Scarpia, a corrupt police chief, through a plot full of political intrigue, a mock execution, and a double-cross that leads to one of opera's most iconic final scenes.

Performances are Thursday, October 8 and Saturday, October 10, both at 7:30 PM.

The Sound of Music — October 13–18, Jackson Hall

The touring production of the beloved Rodgers & Hammerstein musical stops in Nashville for a six-show run. Follow Maria and the von Trapp family through "Do-Re-Mi," "Edelweiss," and the rest of the songs that have kept this story going for 65 years.

Six performances run through the week: Tuesday through Friday at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday with both a 2 p.m. and evening show.

Fan Conventions and Expos

October also brings out Nashville's pop culture and hobbyist crowds.

Nashville Celebrity Comic Con — October 9–11, The Fairgrounds Nashville

A weekend-long celebration of TV, movies, anime, gaming, and comics in the Wedgewood-Houston neighborhood. Attendees can meet celebrity guests, sit in on exclusive panels, and grab autographs and photos with actors and creators. There's also a large vendor hall for collectibles, merchandise, and artwork, a gaming and esports zone, exclusive screenings and sneak peeks, and a cosplay contest.

Brick Fan Event LEGO Fan Expo — October 3–4, Nashville Fairgrounds Expo Hall

Billed as the South's largest LEGO fan event, this two-day expo (Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.) is built for LEGO fans of every age. Highlights include massive fan-built displays—think a moon base, train and monorail models, and full LEGO cities—plus a 125-foot all-brick RC off-road racetrack, a "build and race" ramp area, mosaic-building stations, and a Strongest Bridge competition judged by a Master Builder.

Guests from the LEGO Masters TV show will be on hand for trivia and meet-and-greets, and there's a STEM zone with guided games and activities plus a DUPLO-filled Kids Zone for the youngest builders. Note: Children age 3+ need a ticket; kids 2 and under get in free.

Fall Festivals and Family Fun

Pumpkin patches, hayrides, and harvest markets take over the city this month.

Cheekwood Harvest — September 19–November 1

This six-week festival transforms Nashville's historic 55-acre botanical garden into a full seasonal wonderland, with 100,000 pumpkins on display. New for 2026 is the Marigold River, a walkway lined with more than 2,500 orange, red, and yellow blooms leading to the Pumpkin Village, where three interactive pumpkin houses await.The Scarecrow Trail's 2026 theme, "Once Upon a Harvest," features 15 storybook-inspired scarecrow creations by local artists along the Carell Dogwood Trail.

On weekends (Saturdays and Sundays, 12 to 2 p.m.), a rotating lineup of local bands plays live music, spanning genres from Western swing to jazz.

Nashville Oktoberfest — October 1–4, Bicentennial Capitol Mall

Four days of German-festival fun downtown. It kicks off Saturday, Oct. 3 with the 5K Bier Run, a scenic race through historic Germantown that ends with a free 20 oz. beer, a race T-shirt, and festival entry. Contests run throughout the weekend and each includes a General Admission ticket:

• Brat Eating Contest ($35, max six competitors per round)
• Stein Holding Contest ($35, an official qualifier for the U.S. Steinholding Association's Tennessee State Championship)
• Pup Parade (Saturday at 2 p.m., $35 for a costumed dog plus one human)
• Dachshund Derby (Sunday at 2 p.m., $40, a wiener-dog race that raises money for Crossroads Campus).

The festival runs Thursday 5 to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday and Friday before 4 p.m. are free with an online ticket request; paid tickets are required after that.

Fall Ball, Y'all Festival — October 10, 10 a.m.–2 p.m., Nashville Farmers' Market

A free annual harvest party with live music on two stages, free pony rides, a petting zoo, live cooking demos from Nossi College of Art & Design, a kids' zone with crafts and tractor climbing, fall-themed artisan goods, and fresh fall produce for sale. Parking is free too.

S'mores Festival — October 10, Copperline Ranch

An evening built around bonfires, hayrides, live music, and, naturally, s'mores. There's also a petting zoo, a kids' zone, and local shopping and food trucks, making it a solid family-friendly pick for an early-fall night out.

Getting Into the Halloween Spirit

Nashville leans into spooky season with a few standout events.

Boo at the Zoo — Nashville Zoo

Nashville's favorite family Halloween event returns with spooktacular scenes and photo ops scattered throughout the zoo, plus special animal shows nightly at 5:45, 6:45, and 7:45 p.m. Kids ages 2 to 12 can hit 10 trick-or-treat stations (a souvenir bag is included), meet costumed characters, explore the Fall Fun Zone, and test their luck at Carn-Evil Carnival Games. There's also storytime under the Old Oakley Tree, free spins on the Scary-Go-Round Carousel, and the Beastly Feast Food Fest for specialty food and drinks.

Tickets run $23 (ages 2+) Friday to Sunday and $19 Monday to Thursday; members save $3 per ticket, and parking is $10 (free for members). The season wraps with a Día de los Muertos celebration on Sunday, Nov. 1.

Frankenstein with the Nashville Symphony — October 27, 7:30 p.m., Schermerhorn Symphony Center

The original 1931 Frankenstein film played for nearly 70 years without any musical score—until composer Michael Shapiro wrote one, earning praise from The New York Times for his "rare melodic gift." This performance, led by conductor Michael Shapiro himself, pairs the classic horror film on the big screen with a live, haunting score from the Nashville Symphony underneath every scene.

Final Girl: The Improvised Horror Musical — October 31, 7:30 p.m., City Winery Nashville

Cherry Bomb takes over City Winery's Main Stage for a fully improvised horror musical, built entirely from a single audience suggestion. Expect the cast to spin up classic horror tropes on the spot—creepy cabins, cursed dolls, masked killers, suspicious basements, and of course a Final Girl—complete with improvised harmonies and choreography. Since nothing is scripted, no two performances are ever the same.

More to See

Journey, Final Frontier Tour — October 21, Bridgestone Arena

Since forming in 1973, Journey has racked up 19 top-40 singles, 25 gold and platinum albums, and more than 100 million records sold worldwide, including a "Greatest Hits" album certified 15 times platinum. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017 and remains one of rock's most successful touring acts, with "Don't Stop Believin'" alone surpassing a billion streams. Doors open at 6 p.m. with the show starting at 7:30 p.m.

C.S. Lewis On Stage: Further Up & Further In — October 17, 4 p.m.

Award-winning actor Max McLean brings a one-man theatrical portrait of C.S. Lewis to the stage, using Lewis's own words to explore what convinced him of the divinity of Christ, how his wartime BBC talks became Mere Christianity, how Hitler influenced The Screwtape Letters, and how his ideas about prayer and heaven shaped The Chronicles of Narnia. The 90-minute show is followed by a post-show discussion with McLean. It's recommended for ages 13 and up; children under 4 aren't admitted.

48th Annual Fall Tennessee Craft Fair — October 9–11, Centennial Park

A free, family-friendly fixture on the Great Lawn next to the Parthenon, ranked among the top 25 craft art fairs in the country and drawing roughly 45,000 visitors each year. About 200 juried artists from across the U.S. set up on-site, so visitors can meet the makers and watch live demonstrations of work in clay, wood, metal, and glass while they shop one-of-a-kind pieces. There's also a kids' tent with hands-on activities and food from area vendors.

New this year is the Emerging Artist Program, a mentorship-based tent where juried emerging artists (Tennessee Craft members, 18+, who live or study in Tennessee) learn alongside mentor artists while selling their own work.

Stay Busy in Nashville This October

With this much going on, October is a good month to be in Nashville. Seasonal celebrations, live performances, and festivals are sure to keep you busy all month long.

If the opportunities of Nashville excite you, contact The Ashton Real Estate Group of RE/MAX Advantage with Nashville's MLS at (615) 603-3602 to get in touch with local real estate agents who can help find the perfect Nashville home for you today.